Colonial Fort

Colonial Fort is a Virginia historical marker in Bedford (County) County, dedicated 1997.

Rte. 460, in median, 300 feet west of bridge over North Fork Goose Creek

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Near here stood a fortified dwelling used for shelter during periods of warfare between European colonists and Native Americans. To this fort in 1756 came Mary Draper Ingles (Mrs. William Ingles) for protection following her escape from captivity by the Shawnee Indians. She was taken prisoner on 30 July 1755 following an attack on the Draper's Meadows settlement in Montgomery County near present-day Blacksburg. The story of her forced march to the Ohio Indian towns, her subsequent escape, and her long trek back home is part of the folklore of frontier Virginia. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), many settlers abandoned this area and fled eastward.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1755 · (Canada, Louisiane et Terres Angloises. Southeast section) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1794 · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1807 · Map Of Virginia (lower center sheet) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1819 · Ohio & Indiana (H. S. Tanner, 1819) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1891 · Bedford, Virginia (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

(Canada, Louisiane et Terres Angloises. Southeast section), 1755, covering the location of Colonial Fort, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — (Canada, Louisiane et Terres Angloises. Southeast section), 1755, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Colonial Fort

Historical maps covering this location

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